Fry Sight Words — Top 300 Words with Audio

The Fry sight words are a list of 1,000 words, created by Dr. Edward Fry, first published in 1957 and revised in 1980. Unlike the Dolch words, which are organized by grade, the Fry words are listed in frequency of occurrence in written language, from most frequent (#1 the) to least frequent (#1000). He calculated the frequency by analyzing millions of words from a very wide range of texts.

The first 100 words account for about 50% of all words that children encounter in reading, and the first 300 words account for about 65%. Learning these first 100 words of the 1000 word list will give a child the greatest immediate gain in reading fluency than any other 100 words could. For grade-grouped practice sets, see the broader Sight Words Generator.

Fry vs. Dolch: key differences

These two well-used lists of "high frequency words" are in the public domain. We explain below how they are used in practice.

Organization: Dolch words are organized by grade level (Pre-K, K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd), whereas the Fry words are organized by frequency (1–100, 101–200, etc.). So, if your school is organized by Dolch grade level, use the Dolch list. But if you wish to go by frequency, use the Fry list.
Scope: Dolch includes 315 words that are commonly read by students in grades K-3. The Fry list includes 1,000 words and is useful for tracking the progress of upper elementary and early middle school readers, typically through 9th grade.
The amount of overlap: Approximately 60% of the words for K-3 in the Dolch list are found in the Fry 1–200 words of the 1,000-word list. The reader who is familiar with the Dolch words will recognize most of the words in the Fry 1–200 list of 1,000 words.
Practical application: Dolch for K-2 structured reading lists, Fry for upper elementary and middle school progress measurement. For spelling practice at the same grade levels, see Spelling Bee Words (K–7).

How to use this tool effectively

For Kindergarteners, children in K-1, or beginning readers, start with the first 100 words (Words 1-100).
Gradually increase to 101-200. Test the child's mastery by going into Practice Mode and selecting a 15-word session. If they can read all 15 words correctly upon first sight, then they are ready to move on to the next set of words.
Use the frequency rank badge (the # next to each word) to see how important you should make mastering each word. Words of lower frequency rank occur with greater frequency in text.
Practice short sessions (5 minutes, daily) for better results than long sessions per week. Generate 10-15 words for Practice Mode, run it once, note any words your child missed, and continue.
Print out a take-home sheet for your child's parents to practice with your child without a device. Click on Print for a word grid printable in a clean format. Browse more classroom-ready resources on the Teacher Tools hub.

Why frequency ordering matters

By recognizing the top 100 words automatically, children save a lot of mental energy for comprehension. This is how reading research defines fluency: reading with adequate accuracy and automaticity and reading with proper comprehension. Recognizing sight words is the fastest way to achieve reading fluency for early readers.

This ordering also allows for a more precise way to express to teachers and others how much your child has learned about sight words. For example, "My child knows Fry 1–150" is far more precise than "My child knows some of the sight words." Using the saved-words feature, you can even see which words your child still needs to practice and determine when it is time to move on to the next 100 words. Pair this with the Dolch Sight Words list for grade-level benchmarks in K-3.

Frequently asked questions

How many Fry sight words are there?

Note that Dr. Fry's complete list of 1,000 words is shown on this page. The first 300 words are most important for early through mid-elementary readers. The first 100 words of the Fry list appear in about 50% of written text.

What is the difference between the Fry list and Dolch list?

Fry's list contains 1,000 words ordered by frequency, covering Grade 1 through Grade 9. Dolch contains 315 words covering Pre-K through 3rd Grade with a focus on function words. Many of the first 200 words on Dr. Fry's list are also included on Dolch's list of words to learn by grade. Teachers use Dr. Fry's list more in grades K-3, as it is part of the standard curriculum that uses Dolch words.

When should a child know all 300 Fry words?

Most reading programs look to have children reading words 1–100 by the end of the 1st grade, words 101–200 by the end of the 2nd grade, and words 201–300 by the end of the 3rd grade. Again, these are merely guidelines and children read at different levels.

How is the Fry list ordered?

Words that are most common in printed English, like "the" (rank #1), appear far more frequently than less common words, which are listed at the lower ranks. Introducing children to the words of printed English with the lowest rank numbers first will get them to fluency most quickly.

Can I print Fry word lists?

Yes. You can print a word list by selecting the word list(s) you need, clicking on the "Generate" button for the word list(s) selected, and then clicking on "Print". The print view for a word list includes all the words in the list viewed in a colored grid. You can use "Copy All" to copy the words to a flashcard application or to a word processor.

What does Practice Mode do?

Practice Mode displays a single word at a time with options to Hear Word, go to the Next Word, or the Previous Word. After finishing the practice session, press Exit Practice to return to the full word list. This is ideal for daily 5-10 minute reading drills.